No Other Words
by The Green Feeling Anon Contest
Summary: After an argument, Edward refuses to speak to Bella. She desperately tries to win his forgiveness. When new girl Bree moves to town, Edward’s attention is focused on her and no longer on Bella. Angst, OOC B/E


**The Green Feeling Anon Contest**

**Story Title: No Other Words**

**Summary: After an argument, Edward refuses to speak to Bella. She desperately tries to win his forgiveness. When new girl Bree moves to town, Edward's attention is focused on her and no longer on Bella. Angst, OOC B/E**

**Word Count: 6693 (without header)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, but this one-shot is mine.**

I waited for him at the buses after school, hoping to catch him before he left for the day. Vacation was next week and I wouldn't get to see him until it was over. We never made any plans over vacation because it was like an unspoken rule that we always hang out when there was no school. I wasn't so sure now. Edward hadn't spoken to me in over a week and I was worried.

I gnawed on my lip as I peered past the heads of fellow classmates, trying to catch a glimpse of my friend. He was taller than most boys in our grade, so I was sure I would see him towering above everyone else.

I was wrong. I waited for an hour after school but he didn't show up anywhere. The buses were gone and I had already told my Mom not to come pick me up. The sky looked dark and I finally decided to walk home. It didn't seem like Edward was staying after or anything.

I sighed as I pulled my hood up over my head. The sky thundered and I felt rain drops start to fall.

I shivered and shoved my hands into my pockets, rubbing them against the fabric of my jacket to create some warmth.

The trek home took me half an hour and by the time I arrived home, I was soaked from head to toe. My mother scolded me for getting home late, and getting the kitchen floor all muddy and wet. She would have to clean it later. I felt kind of bad.

A while later, I stood under the shower, trying to warm my body up from the rain. I washed my hair with the regular strawberry shampoo my aunt from Canada would send every month. I rinsed it out under the hot water.

I jumped out of the bathtub after cleaning myself and grabbed a fluffy towel from its hanger. I wrapped it around myself and padded to my bedroom.

I shut the door behind me and immediately got into my pajamas. I took a nap to relieve the headache I had.

When I woke up, the house was quiet and I saw a note beside my pillow. It said that my Mom was going grocery shopping and that my Dad would be home around midnight. My Dad traveled for business quite often and it was just me and my Mom at home. I didn't really mind. He always brought back great gifts from whatever country he visited.

The summer before the school year started, he came home from France with a variety of gifts. He bought me a fish pen and some knick knacks I'd never seen before. Dad said he really enjoyed the trip to France. It was a 'mind-opening experience', he had said. I shared some candy with Edward and his family.

The year before that, he went to Hawaii and brought home amazing chocolates with macadamia nuts inside them.

I wondered what gift he would bring home this time.

I got out of bed and went to the kitchen for food. I looked in the fridge and found some roast beef sandwiches. I heated them up and waited by the counter.

When it finished heating I took them out of the microwave and ate them in the kitchen.

I was in the middle of making a cup of hot chocolate when my Mom came through the doors with grocery bags in her arms.

"Help me with the bags," she said breathlessly.

I grabbed them from her and started placing them on the kitchen counters.

I noticed that she bought some pregnancy tests and started to grow a little nervous and angry.

"Mom, what is the meaning of this?" I held up the box.

She stopped placing cans of soup in the cabinets and looked at me. Her eyes widened.

"They're not mine," she said, standing up.

"Then whose are they?" I demanded.

She sighed. "Bella, they're for the neighbors next door. Bernice and Allyson have been trying for a baby. They got a sperm donor at the sperm bank and Bernice has asked me to get a pregnancy test for her. She's too afraid to go get it herself."

I turned away and resumed putting the groceries in their spots.

**

"So are you going to keep ignoring me?"

I looked up from the TV at my mother. She stood by the wall, arms across her chest.

"I'm not ignoring you," I replied, grabbing a handful of popcorn and putting it into my mouth. I chewed slowly and kept my eyes on the TV screen.

"I don't get why you're so upset," she said.

"When did I ever say I was upset?"

"You're acting like someone who's upset," she said pointedly.

"I just don't want other people seeing you buying pregnancy tests. It gives off a bad image. I don't think Dad would like it either. Next time, just say no when the neighbors tell you to do stuff for them," I said crankily.

"It's not like I'm pregnant, Bella. I'm forty this year and I know women my age that are pregnant," my Mom said with an edge in her voice. "I was doing a kind favor to Bernice and Allyson. They're paying me back too, just so you know. I don't want you thinking I did it for free or something."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes.

**

I contemplated calling Edward the next day. Before the fight, he mentioned that he would be home all winter vacation so I was free to call him because he wouldn't be out of the country or anything. I decided that it was best to call Jasper, his neighbor before calling Edward. Jasper could tell me whether or not Edward was home and if he looked mad.

"Hey Bella," Jasper said.

"Hey Jasper, I was uh, wondering if you've seen Edward today?" I asked anxiously.

He said something to someone in the background. "We're hangin' out right now, actually. You wanna talk to him?"

"NO! No, no, that's okay. Don't let him know I'm on the phone with you. Say that it's someone else," I whispered quickly.

"Why?" Jasper asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"We got into a fight and I don't think he's very happy with me right now," I mumbled.

"_Oh_," Jasper breathed. "I see. Well that's a tricky situation. You should come over and mend it. But uh, hey, we've gotta go. Our mothers want us to get ready to meet the new neighbors. They have a girl our age movin' next door to Edward's house."

"Jasper, wait—"I tried to add in some last words but he already hung up.

I placed the phone back in the holder and leaned my head against the wall of the living room.

I moped around the house all day and helped out with baking. My Dad was still sleeping and I didn't get a chance to talk to him since he came home late last night.

"Bella, come here. I made some brownies," my Mom said lightly.

I wandered into the kitchen warily. She picked at a piece of brownie and popped it into her mouth.

I got out a plate and placed a piece on it for myself. The brownie tasted okay. I wished she hadn't made it from scratch, but from the brownie mix you buy at the store.

**

I took my bike out of the garage and made my way over to Edward's house. It took me about ten minutes and when I arrived I was sweating a little under my armpits. I was glad I put on layers of clothing so my body odor was hidden.

I froze when I saw Edward putting an arm around a red-haired girl. They were greeting the new neighbors. Jasper saw me and waved. I waved back weakly, unable to form out words.

"Bella!" Jasper yelled.

"Hi Jasper," I shouted back.

Edward's head turned and he scowled when he saw me.

"Hi Edward," I said loudly.

The scowl was still in place when he responded. "Hello Bella."

"Who is that?" The redhead asked, looking up at Edward.

He smiled at her and shook his head. "She goes to school with Jasper and I."

"Oh," the girl commented. "That's nice."

"Can we talk?" I asked Edward. "I waited for you after school on Friday, but you never showed up at the bus area."

"I got a ride from Jasper," Edward said darkly, narrowing his eyes at me.

I swallowed. That explains him not showing up after school. He always rode the bus home.

He exhaled. "Anyways, I can't really hang out with you right now. My mom wants me to get the table ready. We're having the new neighbors over for dinner."

Jasper stepped in. "You can join us if you want."

Edward directed a glare at him and Jasper shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Besides, it's going to snow tonight and I don't think Bella's mom would want to drive over here and pick her and her bike up." Edward placed a hand on the girl's back and turned to lead her into the front doors of his house.

I frowned. Was he really that against me eating with them? Mrs. Cullen always liked having me over for dinner. She was really nice and a great cook.

"I guess I'll see you later," I mumbled, turning my bike around. I wasted my time by coming here. He obviously didn't want to see me.

**

I did nothing over vacation. The town kids left for warmer places like Florida or California and the ones who stayed behind in Forks didn't include me as their friend. So I stayed home with my parents. I watched bad reality TV and listened to my Dad's music collection from over the years.

He showed me pictures of the places he visited recently. I made dinner for our family for the first time without any help. I made chicken parmesan. It was okay but slightly overcooked. My parents ate it anyway and commented on its 'deliciousness'. I rolled my eyes. They were trying to make me feel better about being a loser during vacation.

"You're not a loser," my Dad said, shoveling the snow in the driveway.

"Yes I am. Nobody invited me anywhere," I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.

"Well, have you tried giving some of the neighborhood kids a call?" he asked, pausing and looking up at me.

"No, but if they haven't called, then that means they don't want to hang out with me. That or they're on vacation," I muttered.

"Sweetheart, sometimes you've got to make the first move. They may be sitting around as well. Give Alice a call or something," he continued shoveling while I watched from the porch chair.

"Alice is in Vermont with her grandparents," I said, thinking of my hyper best friend.

"Give Jessica a call," he grunted, pushing a block of snow on the snow-covered lawn.

"She's in Florida," I rolled my eyes. Jessica was my neighbor; she didn't like me very much.

"Okay," Dad gasped, "Bella grab a shovel and help me."

"Fine," I grumbled, walking over to the garage and grabbing an orange shovel. "You should have had more kids."

"Your mom said one kid and that was it," he replied.

I hopped onto the driveway and started helping him shovel the snow.

"Why?" I asked.

He shrugged. "You were planned and I don't think that she wanted a large family anyway. At that time, your grandmother died so she was mourning. And she said the pain of childbirth was too much and stopped after you were born. We never thought much of it; you were our pride and joy."

I scrunched up my nose at the phrase. "How cliché of you two. I know I may be slightly spoiled but I would have wanted a younger sibling or two. Then if you had a boy, he could have helped shovel the snow."

He laughed. "True, but we're getting old now, so no more babies."

**

When vacation was over, students returned to school unhappily. I was one of them.

I dreaded schoolwork and seeing Edward again. He was in a lot of my classes so it would be quite difficult to avoid him during the day, seeing as that he would be wherever I would be.

I sat in history, waiting for Jasper to come sit next to me. History was his favorite class, and Edward's least favorite class. The three of us always worked together on group assignments. I was afraid that I would be left alone now.

Edward and Jasper strolled through the doors just as the bell rang.

I gestured for Jasper to come sit next to me, but he didn't see my wave.

Instead, he and Edward slid into the seats at the very back of the classroom.

I sighed and stared straight ahead. This would be a long week.

**

"Pick your team members carefully," the gym teacher, Mr. Foley barked at us. We were playing dodge ball and Mr. Foley chose Edward as leader of the blue team and Mike Newton as the leader of the green team.

Much to my distaste, the red-haired girl was also in our gym class. She and Edward talked a lot while Mr. Foley gave out instructions for the game. I was sad that Edward didn't even look my way since school started. He ignored me blatantly during the 'pivotal' history discussion group.

I wrapped my arms around my waist as I waited to be chosen for a team. I really hoped Edward chose me to be on his team because Mike Newton's teams always lost at gym games.

Edward smiled when he was given first choice. "I choose Bree," he announced, pointing at the red-haired girl, who squealed in excitement.

I resisted the urge to scream at him because whenever we played games, he always wanted me on his team. And now he didn't even look my way, which made my heart ache for his friendship again.

Bree skipped over to the container filled with blue 'shirts'. She plucked one out of the container and slipped it quickly over her head and ran back to stand beside Edward.

Mike Newton was given second choice. "Eric," he grinned, high-fiving his best friend.

In the end, I was one of the last people remaining. It was me and a girl named Jane left. Edward despised Jane because she was weird and quiet. Nobody knew much about her and whenever someone tried to get to know her, Jane would just glare at them. She wore black lipstick and one of her eyes was red. I think she had contacts in, but regardless, it freaked a lot of people out.

"I choose Jane," Edward said, smiling at Jane, who stomped over to the blue team.

I tried to slow my breathing and turned to the green team. I swiped at tears that leaked out of my eyes as I slid the green team's shirt over my head.

Mr. Foley released the balls onto the gym floor and people made a grab for them. They started throwing the balls around forcefully and I was glad I didn't wear glasses. With my bad luck, they would probably end up breaking and the shards would pierce my eyes.

I stayed in the corner with one ball clutched in my hand. I didn't try to attack anyone, and they didn't take notice of me hiding behind the bleachers. The people who got hit had to go to a place called 'jail' until the game was over.

The green team was being beaten terribly. Not many members were left and Mike was trying to fight off the blue team as much as he could. I nibbled my fingernail as I watched the game go on. Hopefully nobody would see that I was missing.

The game was obviously over because the entire green team was in the jail. Edward was about to shout that the blue team won when Bree interrupted him.

"Look!" Bree cried, her ponytail swinging back and forth as she ran toward Edward. "There's one left. It's that girl that stalked you!"

Edward spun around. "Who?"

"Her!" Bree stabbed a perfectly manicured finger in my direction.

Edward blinked and then turned to Bree. They both still had a ball in their hands.

I didn't even see it coming. They both sent their balls straight at me. I was knocked over and my ball fell out of my hands, bouncing and rolling across the gym floor.

When I opened my eyes, I stared down at my shirt. It was spotted with blood on the top. I clutched my nose and staggered to my feet, using the bleachers for support. I looked around and saw that the gym class was leaving. They didn't even bother to check on me. They were putting away the shirts into the containers and heading to change back into their normal clothes.

I didn't even go to the locker rooms. I stumbled across the gym pathetically and went straight to the nurse's office. Students stared at me when I walked down the hallway, clutching my bleeding nose.

"Oh dear," the old nurse said as soon as she caught sight of me in her doorway. "Come inside, sweetheart."

I sat down on the cot and she grabbed a towel. She made me hold my nose with the towel firmly. She told me not to tilt my head back, as the blood would flow backwards and down my throat.

I sat on the cot and blinked as I felt tears swimming my eyes again. I was so lame and weak.

The nurse came back into the room with a paper towel wrapped ice pack in her hand. She came over and lightly applied it to my nose.

"I called your parents, Isabella," she said softly. "Your mother will be here to pick you up soon. Gather your clothing from the gym lockers. The bleeding has stopped, I assume?" She lifted my chin up a little and removed the towel from my nose.

I tried to breathe, but I felt the discomfort that followed. The blood probably clotted around my face and my nose.

"They're picking me up?" I blubbered.

She nodded. "In about twenty minutes. You can clean the blood off too."

I kept the towel in my hand as I walked out of the nurse's office and down the locker room. The bell hadn't rung yet so the students waited in the stairwell.

They all stared at me as I pushed past them.

I stopped when I saw Edward standing with Bree at the end of the staircase. They were close together and I felt bile rise up in my throat.

They sickened me and yet I was jealous at how quickly Bree was able to form a friendship with him. It took me at least half a year to become friends with Edward Cullen.

Bree stopped laughing and looked at me. Her eyes were curious as she examined my appearance. Edward paused too and then turned when he followed Bree's gaze.

His eyes widened at my bloody nose, shirt, and towel.

I didn't give him a chance to say anything and went straight to the girl's locker rooms. I gathered my clothes from my locker and stuffed it into my gym bag. I heard the bell ring faintly from upstairs and swung the bag over my shoulder. I trudged up the stairs alone and dreaded seeing my parents and having to explain my incident.

I stopped by the girl's bathroom to clean my face up. I didn't want people to call me a freak.

**

When I saw my Mom's car pull up to the school entrance, I quickly stood up and thanked the nurse for her help. She said that classes have been taken care of so I could go home for the day.

I stepped out of the office and saw Edward leaning against the lockers. He quickly straightened up and stepped toward me.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," he started.

I shook my head. "I don't want to hear it, Edward. I know what I did to you was hurtful, but this was plain cruel. I didn't deserve it."

"I didn't mean to hit you, okay? It was an accident and Bree feels bad about it too," Edward said.

"Don't you have class?" I glared at him.

"It's study hall," he replied.

"I have to go, my mom's waiting outside," I turned and walked away.

**

"I called your doctor," Mom sighed as she put the phone back in the receiver. "She says that you should just rest. If the nose starts bleeding again, give her a call."

I nodded. I was watching re-runs of The Simpsons on TV.

"Do you want anything?" she asked.

"No," I replied sourly.

"Alright, there are popsicles in the freezer if you want any," she sighed before going up the stairs.

**

I took a nap on the couch after getting tired of the re-runs. I woke up to the sound of my parents talking quietly in the kitchen. I wandered in there a moment later.

"How are you feeling?" My Dad asked.

"Like I got hit in the face with a ball during gym," I answered sarcastically, opening the freezer for a popsicle.

"Nice," he chuckled. "Who was the kid that did it?"

I paused and shut the freezer door carefully. "Edward and some new girl," I replied, ripping the wrapper off the popsicle.

"Do you want me to talk to his parents?" he asked.

"No, I just don't want anything done. They can mull it over on their own time," I said darkly.

**

"We're moving to France?" I asked, shocked. I dropped my fork and stared at my Dad.

"I got a really good job offer there," he explained. "And since you are our only child, they've paid for the first year of tuition at a school you will be attending. A house has been arranged for us to move in once we arrive in Paris."

"Thanks for telling me earlier?" I glared at him.

"I got the 'ok' from my boss to inform you guys," he said, sighing. "It's a good opportunity for me. You can move back to the states after you graduate and decide where you want to go for college. Of course, you will be able to come back here and visit during holidays and vacations."

"When would we move?" I asked, still a little bit angry.

My Mom looked expectantly at him. "Well, Charlie?"

"After your midterms are completed and other things are arranged," he said, rubbing his forehead. "This house is on the market and I made arrangements with the real estate person a few months ago. We got an offer last week."

**

I sat in bed, pondering the conversation. Why hadn't he told us earlier? I would have liked some notice before moving halfway across the world to a place where I didn't even speak French.

Then I thought about the positive things that could come from moving.

I would be in an entirely new place where nobody knew me. I could make new friends. And I would be far away from people I didn't like here in Forks. I could create a new identity for myself and not have to worry about people knowing how clumsy and a loser I was here.

I closed my eyes and prayed for sleep to come easily tonight.

**

I consoled myself with the assurance that I was leaving Forks soon enough. It helped me get through my day without crying after seeing Edward and Bree together.

I made my way to the lunch line and grabbed a tray. I looked up when I heard giggling. It came from Bree, who was laughing hysterically at something Edward said. My stomach clenched and I refused to become weak and break down in the middle of the school day. I would make it through without tears or throwing up in the girl's bathroom.

Bree certainly had a mean streak in her because she was the one who plotted the attack against me during gym, resulting in my nosebleed and Edward's pathetic attempt at apologizing.

I hated how quickly Edward snatched her up and basically made her his new best friend. I considered her my replacement after our falling out. It hurt me how he never tried reconciliation and let things remain how they were.

This is how the fight went.

We were at his house one afternoon after school. We hung out in his room and listened to music. He stepped out to grab us some snacks while I stayed on the floor of his room, flipping through a comic magazine.

I put the magazine down after finishing it and looked around his room. It was cleaner than an average teenage boy's room. I saw a photo album under his bed and went to grab it. The album was dusty and I wiped the dust off and opened it.

There was a birth certificate and I frowned when I saw the name 'Edward Anthony Masen' instead of 'Cullen' on the line. I flipped through more pages in the album and saw Edward as a toddler, being held by a woman that looked identical to him now.

Then there was a picture of Edward standing beside a man I didn't recognize. At the end of the photo album, there was an official adoption certificate.

This is when Edward returned to the room and saw me with the photo album. He yelled at me and dropped the tray of milk and cookies. It fell and the plate shattered. The plastic mug that held the milk didn't break, but spilled milk all over his carpet.

I abruptly shut the album and shoved it behind me, standing up.

Edward was taller than me and his green eyes blazed in anger as he glared at me.

"Why were you snooping through my personal items?" he demanded.

"I wasn't," I defended myself. "I just happened to see it under the bed and was curious."

"So you just took it out and started looking through it like it was no problem?" he asked, throwing his hands into the air.

"I didn't mean to, okay? I'm really sorry. Why have you never told me that you were adopted, Edward?" I asked, taking a step closer to him.

He held his hand up and looked away. "Don't come any closer. I'm so disgusted right now. You know it's never a good idea to invade someone's privacy. I can't believe you have the guts to even ask more about it after looking through my photo album."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I really am. I hope you forgive me because I never intended to make you angry or hurt. It's not something to be ashamed of. I know a lot of kids that are adopted," I told him.

"I don't care. Can you just go? I don't want to talk about this any longer. What you did is completely an invasion of privacy and you're not really my friend if you can't understand that I don't want to talk about it." He turned away and faced the wall.

I sighed and walked toward the door. "If you want to talk, call me. I don't want us to go on vacation on bad terms."

"Just leave the house, Bella. Don't call me." Edward slammed the door behind me.

**

Bree and Edward cut the line and were standing in front of me now. They shared a tray and Edward paid for the food items.

I glared at the back of Bree's head, wishing I could punch her and not get in trouble.

Suddenly, Bree turned around, as if she sensed my hostility.

"Hi Bella," she said sweetly, smiling at me.

I didn't respond, and kept staring at her until Edward tugged her shirt.

"Let's go," he mumbled, looking down.

"Edward, I was being nice. Why are you so rude? I just wanted to say hi to her," she hissed to him as they walked to their lunch table.

I paid for my sandwich and water and headed to the table nearest the large window in the café.

I took out some homework and got it done while I ate. I also watched Bree and Edward.

They sat at my old lunch table with all the popular people. They never sat with Edward and me before, but I supposed that Bree was friends with them now, so they immediately moved to a new lunch table to accommodate their new friend.

I hated how everyone was friends with her now. I couldn't turn around in the hallway without her walking past me with a popular girl or guy.

I made my way through the rest of the school week without talking to anyone. Jasper abandoned me for Bree because she was now _everyone's_ best friend. He no longer gave me sympathetic glances during history, and walked past me without a single nod to acknowledge my presence.

I began to accept that Edward was going to hold a grudge and not forgive me.

Why ponder over it and beat myself up? I was moving soon anyway. There was no point to torture myself like this. It was an accident and I had no cruel intentions. He couldn't accept my apology and remained cold and distant, so I'll let him be. Once I'm gone, he can start to feel remorse for his actions.

**

"Good luck on your midterms. When you get home, we're finishing up some packing." My Mom gave me a kiss on my cheek and pushed me out the door.

I arrived at the school with a pack of freshly sharpened number two pencils in hand.

I sat down in my first midterm – history. I arranged two pencils on my desk in front of me. The teacher stood in front of the room, holding packets in her arms.

"You have an hour and a half to complete the midterm. Good luck." She passed the tests out and I took mine nervously. We had to write an essay and do short answers on terms we learned in each unit.

**

Midterms were officially done. School returned to the usual schedule.

I had to endure another month or so of this until my Dad got everything set up in Paris.

I hoped that time would go by faster. I didn't want to stay in Forks any longer. It had become terrible for me. People simply pushed past me in the hallway because I walked too slow and kept my head down to avoid any stares.

Bree kept attempting to talk to me during lunch. During gym, she didn't come near me because she was always at Edward's side.

Sometimes, I would look up and see Edward twisting a piece of Bree's hair around his fingers and a little piece of my heart broke because that was what he used to do to my own hair.

**

I got my wish two and a half weeks later. I came home from school one day and saw both my parents sitting at the dining table in the nearly empty kitchen.

"Hey," I greeted them.

"Hi sweetheart, come sit down," Dad said, patting the empty chair beside him.

"Any news?" I inquired.

"The company in Paris said that we are able to leave at the end of this month. The house is already set up for us, and you are able to start school a week after we settle in." He smiled.

"That's great," I said.

"You're not sad about leaving Forks? What about your friends?" asked Mom.

"What friends? You mean the ones who abandoned me?" I replied with a question.

"So I'm guessing no goodbye party, right?" Dad raised an eyebrow at me.

I shook my head, confirming the answer.

"Well that speeds things up," he clapped his hands and looked around.

The house was bare and a lot of our furniture had been shipped to France already. We sold my baby things and the money was stored away for me when I wanted to go to college.

We currently slept on air-mattresses because ours were shipped to the new house overseas.

I went back upstairs to my room and looked around. I took down the photo frames on the wall yesterday and ripped my posters off from the ceiling. I decided that once I arrived in France, my bedroom would be completely new to suit the new me.

I also wanted a haircut once I landed in Paris.

**

"And what date are you leaving the state, Mr. Swan?" Principal Greenberg asked my father.

I wasn't really listening. I was staring at the photo frames that covered the walls of the office. My Dad came in to school with me today to discuss our move to France. When we announced our plans, Greenberg looked surprised. It was a shock to him and I enjoyed seeing the nervous glance he gave me before resuming the conversation with my father.

I was just happy I was able to skip school for today with an excuse. I was going to several appointments before our move. My parents wanted to make sure everything was set. They made appointments with the dentist, optometrist, and pediatrician. I was going to get my teeth cleaned and checked out, eyes tested, and a physical check up.

I glared at Greenberg as he chuckled at something my Dad said. His bushy mustache shook and his teeth appeared as his lips widened in laughter.

I picked at my fingernails and stared up at the ceiling. We'd been in the office for nearly two hours, going over 'paperwork'. They went through my records and grades so far. These were to be sent over to the new school in France so they could see where I stood academically. Once we settled in France, I had to take a placement test. I wasn't looking forward to that.

**

"That wasn't so bad, right?" Dad asked as he opened the doors.

We had just finished my last appointment of the day and were heading home.

"Whatever," I grumbled, sliding into the passenger seat and buckling my seat belt. Everything went well; I had no cavities and my teeth were in tip-top shape. I didn't need glasses because I had 20/20 vision. I was healthy and got all the necessary shots.

"Let's pick up dinner tonight. I doubt your mother wants to cook. There's barely anything left to cook with," he laughed.

We drove by the Lodge and ordered some burgers for dinner.

"How were the appointments?" Mom asked as she opened the front door for us. I stalked into the kitchen and dropped the Styrofoam boxes on the table.

I turned around to see my parents giving each other look before staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Mom said as she sat down and pulled one of the boxes toward her. She opened it up and proceeded to eat the fries and burgers.

**

I only had a week left in Forks. I kind of wanted to slack off and not do the assignments but Principal Greenberg said that I needed to do them, regardless of my move.

My teachers were informed of my move and paid more attention to me during class – as if that would be necessary anymore. I was always the quiet student. I did my work and got good grades, but hardly participated in class.

I was walking to the bus one day after school when I saw Bree and Edward standing by the school doors that also led to the buses. I tried to keep my attention elsewhere, but failed when I heard someone yell my name.

"Hey!" The person yelled again.

I turned and saw Edward running toward me. Bree was still standing by the door, looking at the both of us with a blank expression on her face.

"Bella," he breathed, stopping when he reached me. "Why didn't you tell me you were moving? You're moving to _France_ – the other side of the planet!"

"I didn't think it was necessary," I replied.

"I know I was a jerk to you, but we've been friends for as long as I can remember. You couldn't bear telling me you were moving to another country?" Edward frowned.

"You are a jerk," I corrected him, not feeling regret when pain flashed in his eyes. "It's my business and how did you even find out?"

"I overheard some of the teachers talking about it," he said, sighing. "How long are you staying in France?"

"I don't know?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "Indefinitely, I suppose. Until I finish school there and go to college or something."

"But you will come back, right?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Probably not," I said. "I highly doubt it. Plane tickets are expensive."

"Plane tickets are expensive?" Edward repeated, narrowing his eyes at me. "Is that all you can say?"

"I don't know, Edward. What are you expecting me to say after you basically gave me the cold shoulder? I'm so fed up with you and your behavior. You're worse than me when I PMS. I already apologized for the whole photo album thing, but you don't seem to want to let it go."

"That's not true," he protested.

"And what's the deal with Bree? Since she's new, you think you can use to her to make me jealous? I was jealous, but I just don't care anymore. I'm moving to France. I'll meet friends that'll treat me better than you did, Edward. They won't push me away because of something that I genuinely apologized for." I spat at him.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. That wasn't going to fix everything. "I know what I did was wrong. Bree is my friend; she isn't replacing you at all."

I stared hard at him. "I'm sorry too, but that doesn't change anything. You hurt me, Edward."

"Bella, I'm truly sorry. I really am. Do you think you can still forgive me?" He cringed, as if preparing for my rejection.

"All I can say to you is that I really don't care anymore. I'll forgive you, but we're not friends anymore, Edward." I tried to keep the sob that threatened to burst out of my throat.

A tear rolled down his cheek. I've never seen Edward cry before.

"So this is it?" he asked.

"Well, how did you expect this conversation would go?" I scowled at him.

"I honestly don't know. I expected you to forgive me." It came out as more of a question than a reply.

I shrugged. "This is it, then."

"Will you mail me?" he asked.

"Probably not," I responded. I looked up to see the bus drivers closing the bus doors. It told me to get going because the buses would be leaving soon.

"I'll miss you," he said softly.

I turned to look at him for the last time. "Goodbye Edward."

I looked past him and saw Bree. Her eyes connected with mine and I saw a flash of victory in her eyes as Edward and I said goodbyes to each other. She watched the exchange with a look of curiosity. She was happy that we were saying goodbye.

"Bye Bella," Edward's voice cracked as he said my name.

I sped to my bus and caught it just as the first bus left.

I looked out my window to see Bree try to hold Edward's hand, but he looked the other way. Bree glared at the back of Edward's head and crossed her arms.

In a way, I pitied Edward. He was stuck in boring old Forks while I was in Paris – Paris!!

As the buses left Forks High, a small smile crept onto my face. A weight had been lifted off my shoulder and the dark clouds that loomed above my head disappeared.


End file.
